Referees "aren't going to change just to accommodate someone's offense," Mike Pereira, a former NFL vice president of officiating who is now an analyst for Fox Sports told The Journal.

"We have to make sure teams understand that they don't control the tempo, our officials do," said NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. "We're going through our normal ball mechanics, we aren't going to rush (unless) it's in the two-minute drill."

Kelly declined to comment.

The Journal points to a couple of reasons for the NFL wanting to slow down the pace

"It's easy to see why the NFL might want to tap the brakes on these rampaging offenses. The league has long cherished the somewhat languorous breaks between plays, which are also attractive to broadcasters. There's also a safety concern: the more plays get run, the more tired players become and the more their technique suffers--increasing the risks of injury."

A couple of other things working against Kelly:

Referees, according to the report, are required to change balls after an incomplete pass or when a play ends out of bounds.

Also, the referee who spots the ball in the NFL must be set behind the deepest offensive back before the offense can snap the ball.

Lastly, if an offensive team substitutes a player, Blandino said, the defense will also be allowed to make its substitutions.